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{
    "id": 241946,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/241946/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Shitanda",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Housing",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 207,
        "legal_name": "Peter Soita Shitanda",
        "slug": "soita-shitanda"
    },
    "content": "For instance, we have one of the biggest slums in Africa and the third biggest slum in the world in Mr. Raila's constituency. That slum is called \"Kibera\". Over 500,000 people live in the Kibera slums without basic facilities. The Government has put in place a programme to address the issue of slums in this country. I agree with the hon. Member who has said that the Kibera Housing Programme was supposed to be a pilot project. Under that programme, 600 housing units are being constructed. We still get resistance from the slum developers in Kibera as we put up those houses. We carried out a survey recently and discovered that there is an area which is owned by some slum developers who collect about Kshs2.5 million per month in form of rent. Those are the people who resist any attempt by the Government to address the problem of slums. However, I assure hon. Members that we are committed to addressing the problems of slums. I would like to inform the hon. Members who have said that the Government has not put up any houses that 600 housing units are being built right now. Those houses will be ready in the next 18 months. I would like to tell Prof. Oniang'o that I will have a lot to show at the end of this Parliament. This week, I will launch the construction of 200 housing units under the Civil Servants Programme on Gichugu Road and Jogoo Road. Those houses will be sold to civil servants at friendly rates. We are thinking on how we can facilitate slum dwellers acquire houses at affordable terms. The National Housing Corporation (NHC) has been putting up houses for the last 40 or so years. That corporation has programmes which are slum-friendly. There are 160 housing units which were completed last year in Majengo slums. Those houses were meant for the slum dwellers of Majengo. When I was appointed the Minister for Housing, I discovered that about 34 houses had been grabbed by the well-to-do people who have no business living in Majengo slums. In that connection, we replaced the Managing Director. Those houses have reverted back to the Majengo slum dwellers."
}